Press feeding device



y 0, 1937. H. D. KNIGHT PRESS FEEDING DEVICE Filed April 7, 1936INVENTOR. Berber? D. ffnzlghz ATTORNEY Patented July 20, 1937 PRESSFEEDING DEVICE Herbert ll). Knight, San Diego, Calif assignor to ThomasJ. McKee, J12, Pasadena, Calif.

Application April 7, 1936, Serial No. 73,105

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to machinery to be employed for feedingprinting presses, and more particularly pertains to an aparatus forautomatically taking individual sheets of paper or the like from a pileof such sheets and deliver ing said individual sheets into positionwhereby they may be transmitted into the presses for printing and/orfolding purposes. More specifically stated, the invention covers animproved 1 mechanism adapted to pick up individual sheets of paper froma stack or pile thereof, and to deliver such individual sheets, one at atime, to a table adjoining the printing machine or press, such sheetsbeing then picked up from said table by grappling means attached to theprinting machine, said grappling means delivering the sheets into thepress for printing purposes.

The machinery employed until the present time for the purpose ofconveying individual sheets of paper from a stack thereof to theprinting press usually comprises segmental suction rollers andcooperating wiper rollers or brushes, the suction rollers being rotatedand carrying the sheet of paper around therewith until said rollers haveperformed a half circle, at which time suction is cut off from saidrollers, and the individual sheet is then carried forward to the tapesor table of the printing machine. These tapes of the printing machineare usually constructed in the form of endless belts, their actuationmoving the individual sheets to the above mentioned grappling means ofthe printing press. The use of such machinery is found to be verycumbersome and highly defective in that these tapes frequently break,thus causing the tearing of the sheets and the necessity of stopping themachinery for repairs. Also, in view of the fact that the sheets ofpaper in the above described stack or pile are never found to be stackeduniformly, the use of the above described machinery, employed until thepresent time for automatic sheet feeding, caused such individual sheetsto be frequently delivered at an angle or bias to said grappling means,which in turn caused the improper printing on such sheets in that theprinting was crooked.

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide anentire automatic arrangement which will feed individual sheets of paperfrom a stack thereof into position to be conveyed into the printingpress, said arrangement avoiding the above described objections anddefects. A further object of the invention is to provide a paper feedingmachine which eliminates the necessity of conveying tapes. A stillfurther object of the present invention is to provide an automaticarrangement or machine which will straighten the individual sheetsbefore they are picked up by the grappling means conveying said sheetsinto the printing press or machine.

It has now been discovered that the above and other objects may beattained by providing a sheet feeding machine between the stack or pileof paper and the above described grappling means of the printing press,said sheet feeding machine being provided with means adapted to pick upindividual sheets of paper from said stack thereof and to convey themindividually to the grappling means without the necessity of employingany moving tapes, the machine being also pro- 1:

vided with means adapted to straighten said individual sheetsimmediately prior to the time when they are picked up by said grapplingmeans.

The invention may therefore be broadly stated to reside in a sheetfeeding machine adapted to be disposed between the stack or pile ofpaper and the printing press or machine, said sheet feeding machinecomprising means brought in contact with the uppermost sheet of paper ofsaid pile thereof, and adapted to adhere thereto, means in mechanicalengagement with said first mentioned means and adapted to raise saidfirst mentioned means together with the sheet of paper adhering thereto,to move said first mentioned means and said adhering sheet of paper in asubstantially horizontal direction towards the printing press, and meansin mechanical engagement with the first mentioned means adapted toseparate and remove said sheet of paper from adherence to said firstmentioned means.

The invention further resides in a sheet feeding machine disposedbetween a stack of paper and a printing press which comprises a table orframe, a carriage adapted to move reciprocally along the surface of saidtable or frame between said stack of paper and said printing press,means in mechanical engagement with said carriage adapted to be broughtagainst the surface of the uppermost sheet of paper of said stack and toadhere thereto by means of suction created in said means, means inmechanical engagement with said first mentioned means adapted to raisesaid means and said sheet of paper away from the stack and onto saidtable, means in mechanical engagement with the first mentioned meansadapted to disconnect the suction therein and to cause the desirabledisengagement of said sheet of paper when the carriage moves the firstmentioned means and the sheet of paper adapted to be towards the end ofthe table closest to the printing press, and means on said table adaptedto straighten said sheet of paper, thereby permitting correct printingthereon after said sheet of paper has been moved into the printingpress.

The invention further includes means which are associated with the paperstraightening means and which raise said paper straightening meansimmediately prior to the time when the grappling means associated withthe printing press pick up said individual sheets.

In its most specific form the invention resides in a sheetfeedingmachine disposed between the stack of paper to be fed into theprinting pressand said printing press, said sheet feeding ma chinecomprising a table or frame, runways ex tending along the surface ofsaid table or frame, a carriage disposed on said runways and adapted tobe moved along said runways, actuating means in mechanical engagementwith said carriage adapted to reciprocally move said carriage along saidrunways from one end of the table to the other and back, a plurality ofsuction cups. carried by said carriage, means in cooperative engagementwith said suction cups adapted to lower said cups against the surface ofthe uppermost sheet of paper of said pile of sheets when the carriage isat one end of its travel closest to said pile and to raise said suctioncups together with the sheet of paper adhering thereto as soon as thecarriage begins to move toward the printing press, means in cooperativeengagement with said suction cups to create the suction therein,andmeans substantially at the other end of the table adapted to bebrought into cooperative engagement with the suction cups to break thesuction therein and thereby permit the sheet of paper thus carried bysaid sheet feeding machine to drop on said table substantially at ornear the end thereof closest to the printing press. The invention alsoincludes a sheet straightening arrangement located on the abovementioned table which comprises a plurality of straighteners adapted tobe reciprocally moved along the surface of the table substantially atthe end closest to the printing press, means in mechanical engagementwith said straighteners and with the carriage actuating means adapted tocreate said reciprocal motion of said straighteners, and means inmechanical engagement and/or cooperation with the first mentioned meansadapted to raise said straighteners from the surface of the table andaway from contact with the sheet of paper thus straightened immediatelyprior to the time when the grappling means of the printing press picksup said sheet of paper, and to lower said straighteners back onto thetable'after said sheet of paper has been thus removed from the surfaceof said table.

One form of the structure constituting the subject-matter of the presentinvention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawingin which:

Figure 1 is a side clevational view of the improved apparatus, said viewalso showing the structure on which the sheets of paper are disposed,the sheet-feeding structure being shown at the moment when the suctioncups have been brought in contact with the uppermost sheet of paper ofthe stack thereof;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken along line 3 of Figure 2; and

dos 37 Figure 4 is an enlarged plan View, partly in section of thehollow shaft carrying the suction members and showing the means forcommunicating the suction cups or members with the vacuunnproducingmeans.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which like numerals referto like or similar elements or parts, table or frame II) is providedwith two runways ii extending the length of table I0. A carriage,generally indicated by numeral I2, and extending across table I from onerunway ii to the other, is adapted to move onsaid runways, Said carriageI2 consists of two frames i3 equipped with wheels or rollers I 4 andwith cross-ties l5 and I6 connecting the two frames 53. A hollow shaftll extends between the frames l3 and passes therethrough, said shaftbeing supported by the frames but being adapted to rotate along itslongitudinal axis. At one of its ends, said shaft H is provided with aforked member l8 rigidly attached to said shaft, the purpose of saidmember l8 being described hereinbelow. At spaced intervals (as seen moreparticularly in Figure 2), shaft ET carries a plurality of curved orarcuated hollow levers or fingers 20. These latter are rigidly attachedto shaft I1, and move therewith. The outer ends of said fingers 2B areequipped with suction cups 2 i. If desired, and as shown in the drawing,the opposite ends of said fingers are provided with counterweights 22.The interior of the hollow shaft communicates with an air pump (notshown) by means of a resilient tube 24, the connection being madethrough a sliding coupling constructed so that the rotation of shaft I'lmay cause such communication between the air pump and the interior ofthe shaft ill to be cut off. It is obvious that, when said communicationexists the suction cups 2|. are thus in communication, through fingers20, interior of shaft I1, coupling 25 and the resilient tube 24, withthe air pump, by means of which the placing of the suction cups 2| onthe topmost sheet of paper creates a partial vacuum in said suction cups2|. Obviously, any other means may be provided for connecting theinterior of the suction cups 2! with the air pump or with any othervacuum-producing structure. Each frame i3 is hinge-connected at 21 toits respective link or arm 28. The other ends of said arms 28 are inturn hinge-connected at 29 to arcuated levers til. These levers areattached at 32 to the sides of the table It by means of hinges, saidhingeconnection being at an intermediate point of said levers iii Theopposite ends of these levers are provided with bosses 33, the purposeof which Will be described hereinbelow.

Substantially below the points 32 at which levers 39 are hinge-connectedto the sides of the table, l0, said table is provided with ahorizontally disposed shaft 35 extending the width of the table andprovided at its opposite ends with discs or wheels 36 rigidly attachedthereto. The shaft is connected with any known means (not shown) toimpart to said shaft, and therefore to said discs or wheels 36, auniform rotary motionin the direction indicated by the arrow (see Figure1).

On their outer surfaces, the discs 36 are provided with grooved cams 31adapted to receive the above-mentioned bosses at the ends of levers 30.The Cams 3'! are shaped so that the above-described rotation of thediscs. 36 will cause the levers 30 to move reciprocally and alongsegmental paths around the hinged points 32. Such motion will obviouslyforce the carriage [2 to move reciprocally along the runways II from oneend carrying shaft 35 and discs 36, is provided with the above-mentionedpaper straightening means. These consist of a plurality of bent platesor elbows lfi rigidly attached to a shaft il extending the width bftable iii. On its sides, and substantially at said end, table i isprovided with two bearings 42 provided with horizontally disposedgrooves d3 extending through said bearings, said grooves being adaptedto receive the ends of shaft ll. The ends of said shaft ll are inmechanical engagement with the above mentioned levers 39 by means oflevers 4 1, which are hingeconnected at 35 to said levers 3d at a pointabove 32. The exact point of connection of id to lever 39 is calculatedso that a complete segmental movement of said lever causes shaft ll tomove in groove '53 from one end thereof to the other.

One of the ends of shaft dl is also rigidly connected to a short leverM, the other end of which is provided with a housing 48 through whichextends a shaft 13 terminating in a bushing 59. The opposite end of saidshaft 49 runs in a groove or cam 52 provided on the inner side of one ofthe discs 35. Shaft 59 is also equipped with a boss 5%, a spring 55being inserted between housing #18 and said boss 5 The front end oftable it, i. e. the end which carries shaft 35 and discs 38 and which isplaced substantially in juxtaposition with the table T carrying thestack or pile of paper, is provided substantially at the level of saidtable it with a brush 5%), said brush extending the width of the tableand having its bristles protruding horizontally outwardly. The purposeof this brush will be seen from the description of the operation of thestructure. On their sides the runways H are provided with protrudingelements 6i and 62, said elements or pins being adapted to come incontact with the forked member l8 and to move said member, therebycausing the rotation of shaft l? carrying the suction cups 2!.

The operation of the above described strue ture is clearly obvious tothose skilled in the art. Briefly stated, the structure constituting theobject of the present invention and employed for conveyingsystematically individual sheets of paper from a stack thereof to thegrappling means of a printing press, is disposed between the table Tcarrying the stack of paper P and the printing press not shown in thedrawing. Assuming that at its initial moment the structure is in theposition shown in solid lines in Figures 1 and 2, the rotation of shaft35, and therefore of the discs 35, as shown in Figure 1, momentarilycause carriage 12 to be moved, due to the action of cam 37 and leversBil and 28, in the direction of the location of table T (to the left asseen in Figure 1). During such movement the forked member l8 straddlespin 6i and a further motion to the left causes an angular movement ofthe member i8 and therefore a rotation of shaft i'i rigidly attachedthereto. This causes the lowering of the suction cups 2| onto thesurface of the uppermost sheet of paper of stack P. The suction createdin the heads of the cups 2! by means of the pump communicating with theinterior of said heads through levers 2G, shaft [1, slide coupling andhose or tube 24, causes the suction cups to be rigidly attached to saiduppermost sheet of paper. Further rotation of shaft 35 and of the discs35 will then cause movement of lever 35 in cam it? which movement willcause the carriage E2 to move on the runways ll away from the table Tand towards the other end of table It. As soon as'this movement ofcarriage I2 to the right is initiated, there is a disengagement offorked member is from pin 6!, the counterweights 22 on fingers 20causing the raising of the cups 2i and therefore of the sheet cf paperheld by said suction cups. This raising elevates the sheet of paperabove the surface of the table ID. The brush til provided at the end ofthe table closest to the stack of paper P acts to separate any of thesheets of paper which may have accidentally been picked up with theuppermost sheet. It is clearly ob- .vious that further rotation of thediscs 36 in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 1 will causelever hinged at 32 to move in cam 37, the other end of said leverthrough the cooperating arm 28 moving carriage l2, and therefore thesheet of paper held by the suction in the suction cups 2 l, to the endof table it closest to the printing press. When carriage l2 reaches theend of its movement in said direction, pin 62 comes in contact withforked member E3 to cause a rotation of shaft i'l so that thecommunication between the interior of said shaft El and hose 2a insliding coupling 25 is cut off. This breaks the vacuum in suction cups2%, thereby permitting the sheet of paper thus delivered to the end oftable I3 closest to the print ing press to be dropped onto the surfaceof said table It. Further rotation of shaft 35 will cause carriage l2,through the medium of discs 38, cams 3?, levers 3B and arms 28 to moveagain towards the end of table it closest to the stack of paper P, atwhich time the cycle of operation above described is again initiated.

While carriage l3, by means of the suction cups 2|, is delivering asheet of paper to the surface of table iii, lever fi l attached to lever36 at 55 is causing a movement of shaft .2 in grooves or slots 43 in adirection away from the table and towards the location of the printingpress. This movement naturally also causes a horizontal movement, in thesame direction, of plates or elbows it. After carriage 93 has droppedits sheet of paper onto said surface of the table, as aforesaid, andwhile said carriage is being conducted along the runways ii toward thetable T to pick up the next sheet of paper, lever 44 causes the movementof shaft Lil in a direction opposite to that described above, 1. e.towards the left as shown in Figures 1 and 2. This causes the elbows tomove against the edge of the sheet of paper lying on said table 50,thereby straightening and/or aligning the same.

It is to be pointed out that the edge of table I!) closest to theprinting press is not constructed on a straight line (see Figure 2). Thepurpose of the indentures is to permit the elbows 4!] to straighten theindividual sheets of paper dropped onto the surface of table H] by thesuction cups 2 l, and to allow the well-known grappling means of theprinting press to pick up the thus aligned sheet and to carry the sameinto the press.

To permit the above-mentioned grappling means to move the sheet of paperlaterally along the table, it is obviously necessary to elevate theelbows or bends 40. For this purpose, I have provided lever 49 actuatedby cam 52 on the of paper from a stack thereof, and paper straightinnerside of disc 35. This lever 49, through the action of lever 57, rotatesshaft 4| and thus raises the elbows 40 out of the way just prior to themoment when the paper is to be picked up by the grappling means. Thelost motion device, consisting of housing 48 on lever 4'! and of theboss 54' and spring 55 on lever 49, causes the rotation of shaft M onlywhen lever 49 has been moved the length of its stroke to the left (asshown in the drawing). At this moment, bushing 53 on lever 49 comes inabutment with housing 48, so that any further movement of lever 49causes the rotation of shaft 4|, and therefore the raising of the elbows43. Although not a part of the present invention, lever 49 may beprovided with means permitting a snap action substantially at the momentwhen it is necessary to lift the elbows 46. Such snap acting structuresare well known to those skilled in the art,

and it is not deemed necessary to describe them.

in detail.

Fromv the above disclosure it is clear that the new structure is adaptedto pick up an individual sheet from a stack thereof, separate any sheetswhich may have accidentally adhered to the thus picked sheet, deliversaid sheet to the place from which it is to be carried into the printingpress by the grappling means thereof, and to straighten or align thethus delivered sheet prior to the moment when it is to be thus taken upby said grappling means.

Although I have illustrated and described single form of the inventionand described it as applied to the feeding of sheets in a position to bedelivered into the printing press, I am aware of the fact thatmodifications can be made in the stead of having pin 52 merely cut offthe suction in-cups 2!,said pin may be adapted to rotate shaft H to sucha position that, through a separate opening in coupling the interior ofcups 2| Will be brought in communication with the atmosphere, thuscausing the sheets of paper carried by said cups to be dropped onto thesurface of table ID with greater surety.

Many other modifications and arrangements are to be considered to bewithin the scope of the present invention, which is to be limited onlyby the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a frame, paper delivering means adapted to deliveronto said frame, at predetermined intervals of time, individual sheetsening means on said table adapted to straighten and align the thusdelivered individual sheets,

.said means comprising a plurality of arms, a

shaft carrying said arms and extending across said frame, guides on saidframe adapted to support and guide said shaft, and means in cooperativeengagement with said shaft and adapted to move said shaft, therebybringing the arms attached to said shaft against an edge of the sheet ofpaper to align said latter.

2. In a structure according to claim 1, where in the last-mentionedmeans are in cooperative engagement with the paper-delivering means, andare actuated by said paper-delivering means to move the paper-aligningarms in contact with the edge of the individual sheet of papersubstantially after said sheet has been delivered onto the frame by thepaper-delivering means.

3. In a structure according to claim 1, wherein the shaft is alsoprovided with means adapted to rotate intermittently said shaft and tothereby said reciprocal movement of said carriage, suction memberscarried by said carriage, means in cooperative engagement with saidsuction members and adapted to effect a dipping of said members, meansin mechanical engagement with said suction members adaptedintermittently to create and then break a vacuum in said suctionmembers, and paper straightening means on said frame adapted tostraighten and align the delivered individual sheets, said meanscomprising a plurality of arms, a shaft carrying said arms and extendingacross said frame, guides on said frame adapted to support and guidesaidshaft, and means in cooperative engagement with said shaft andadapted to move said shaft, thereby bringing the arms attached to saidshaft against an edge of the sheet of paper to align said latter.

5. In a structure according to claim 4 wherein the last-mentioned meansare in cooperative engagement with the carriage actuating means, and areactuated by said carriage-actuating means to move the paper-aligningarms in contact with the edge of the individual sheet of papersubstantially after said sheet has been delivered onto the frame by thesuction members.

HERBERT D. KNIGHT.

